Bollywood goes back to 1980's!

Bollywood is turning back the clock to the 80s, and everyone’s wondering where the original ideas have gone. As many as 10 remakes or sequels from the 1980s are presently under production, and Himmatwala (1983) and Chashme Buddoor (1981) have already been made afresh. “I feel it was the best period in terms of content because we saw a lot of pure masala films during that time. And at the same time, there was slice-of-life, middle-of-the-road cinema too. Since youngsters haven’t watched these films, it’s a good idea to remake them,” says trade analyst Taran Adarsh.

To start with, Sonam Kapoor will reprise Rekha’s part from Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Khubsoorat. Produced by her sister Rhea, the remake will be directed by Shashanka Ghosh. Although Anil Kapoor’s daughter has met Rekha a couple of times, she insists that they have made their film “completely different” from the original. Irrfan Khan, who is set to team up with Naseeruddin Shah for the sequel to 1983 classic Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, feels the film is much more pertinent today. “You can watch it even after 50 years. It will always be relevant because our society will always be corrupt. It talks about things that are much more relevant today like politics and the way people are manipulated,” says Irrfan.

Filmmaker Subhash Ghai, however, calls the remakes of his 80s hits Hero (1983), Dilip Kumar-starrer Karma (1986) and Ram Lakhan (1989) — “adaptations and not remakes.” What’s common to these remakes — a new twist. For instance, Rumi Jaffrey’s new version of Shaukeen (1982) will be set on the beaches of Thailand instead of Goa.

Also in the remake list is Gulzar’s Angoor (1982). Sajid Khan’s Saif Ali Khan-Bipasha Basu-starrer is believed to be a remake of the Sanjeev Kumar-Deven Varma classic. With inputs from agencies